Reside Guided Nondual Meditation by Michael Taft
Streamed stay on Jan 13, 2022
Hey all people! Welcome to tonight’s guided meditation, guided nondual meditation. Let’s start immediately. Okay, let’s begin meditating proper out of the gate. So what I would like you to do is to take your meditation posture. As traditional this implies to take a seat up good and straight. I’m in a chair right here at a desk, but when I transfer the factor there, then I can sit up. And what I do is you sit away from the again. Proper, so you progress ahead within the chair simply sufficient that you simply’re not leaning on the again, however as a substitute sitting up, supporting your again along with your again muscle tissues. After which transfer your legs in such a approach that your knees are no less than the identical stage as your hips and hopefully decrease.
You’ll be able to sit ahead sufficient on the chair your knees will go decrease than your hips. Ensure that in the event you’re in a chair that rolls that it doesn’t roll out from underneath you in the event you do this. And then you definitely simply sit up good and straight. And you recognize that final little little bit of straight is getting the highest most level of your head form of pulling upward only a tiny bit. And that makes your chin tuck only a tiny bit or your tin chuck relying. After which when you get your backbone feeling form of straight up and down like that, I would like you to only wave it slightly bit like a younger sapling in a recent wet breeze, very nice breeze, with some water and a few wind. After which steadily settle to that good spot the place it feels simply utterly each upright and relaxed.
All the time remembering that that is a part of the bodily embodiment of realization or no less than a focus of good assortment gatheredness, unification of thoughts is that it’s each alert and relaxed. So we now have our physique alert with the upright backbone and every thing else within the physique is relaxed. In order that’s how we do this.
Okay, now I would like you to tune in with your personal, simply the way you’re feeling proper now. Simply tune into your thoughts, your feelings, your physique. Simply what’s it wish to be you proper now. Simply tune in for a second and test in. Verify in with your self. And don’t simply deal with one factor, like oh I’m simply nervous concerning the keys or no matter. Discover how does your physique really feel, how’s your feelings feeling, how’s your coronary heart, you recognize, how’s your coronary heart feeling? Simply tune in like this. What’s it wish to be you proper now.
After which from right here I would like you to note your intention or lets say your motivation. Why are you meditating? Come again to why are you meditating every time. It may be, like you recognize, a tactical purpose like I’m meditating to get higher at focus. Or it may be one thing very massive like a bodhisattva vow – I’m right here to restore all of creation; I’m right here to convey love and kindness and compassion to all beings. Or it may be one thing form of in between like I’m meditating to be a kinder particular person with an open coronary heart each single day, one thing like that. No matter it’s for you. Go forward and consider that now. And actually get clear, so it’s not simply “oh I’m meditating like brushing my enamel as a result of somebody stated it’s good for me.”
And now the following factor we sometimes do is collect useful resource, collect sources and that may be the visualizations of deities we do, or visualizations of assorted objects that symbolize our personal pristine consciousness, our personal rigpa after which we work with that. Tonight I wish to do one thing completely different.
So you’ll be able to sit along with your eyes closed once more. Usually in nondual observe we sit with our eyes open, however for this half you’ll be able to shut your eyes. And I simply need you to spend the following 5 minutes pondering of issues that you simply’re grateful for. And for every factor that you simply’re grateful for I would like you to really say out loud, I’m grateful that I had such a pleasant bike trip in the present day, I’m grateful for the attractive colours of sundown that I’m seeing out the window proper now. And it may be something in any respect. The one stipulation is you must imply it. It’s important to truly really feel grateful. And you’ll say the identical factor time and again if it’s too exhausting to consider belongings you’re grateful for. However for the following 5 minutes we’re simply going to do gratitude observe. And also you’re going to note that that’s form of melting your coronary heart, melting your armor, opening you up, tuning you in. It’s an exquisite observe. So let’s do gratitude observe for 5 minutes right here.
Maintain simply pondering of issues that you simply really feel grateful for and simply noticing. You don’t have to consider them quick. Simply consider one and simply really feel that gratitude. Actually really feel the smile, the nice and cozy smile of gratitude and the meltiness of the center. Let’s preserve going.
Okay, good. Now the following factor I would like you to do, this can be a little tougher, however I would like it to be a continuation of this coronary heart opening and armor dissolving opening right here. And so as a substitute of gratitude now I would like us to do forgiveness. So simply suppose of people that you forgive, or issues or conditions that you simply forgive and don’t do it with belongings you’re not able to forgive, okay. So I don’t need you to get all certain up and distressed, however moderately, solely conditions and folks and issues that you simply actually really feel able to forgive. I would like you to only once more convey it up, give it some thought and say aloud you recognize so and so, I forgive you. After which really feel the forgiveness. See them in your thoughts’s eye. Forgive, forgive, forgive and spot your coronary heart enjoyable and opening. And naturally you’ll be able to forgive your self too. So let’s observe some forgiveness right here.
If there’s any individual or one thing which you can’t forgive all the way in which, are you able to forgive them partially, no less than slightly bit, no less than for some issues? Let’s clear the decks, our inside system. Let’s clear it totally of every thing that we’re holding on to that we at present have the capability to forgive in order that we’re now not holding on to that. And so even when there’s one thing, you recognize somebody who you’ll be able to’t actually forgive but all the way in which perhaps there’s a number of the stuff you’ll be able to forgive and deal with that. Once more this isn’t about getting wrapped up within the stuff you’ll be able to’t forgive, however we’re getting good and heart-melty and staying open and enjoyable rigidity through forgiveness.
Discover how, as you recognize we tune into our gratitude and we tune into our forgiveness you would possibly begin feeling teary-eyed and your coronary heart actually you recognize wells up. Your coronary heart will get actually massive. It’s an enormous aid to let go of the issues we’re holding on to and simply permit ourselves to forgive. So that is one other approach we will collect useful resource, not solely visualizing deities and our personal pristine consciousness, but additionally practising gratitude, practising forgiveness. That’s constructing our sources, that’s constructing our resilience, proper. The extra that we let go like that, the extra issues that we genuinely are grateful for, the extra issues people who we typically forgive, the extra useful resource, the extra resilience we now have obtainable. And you’ll really feel that now, proper. You are feeling fairly completely different after doing that.
Now let’s tune into our shamatha with an object. We’re going to start doing one thing with an object on simply the breath. And so that you’re inhaling and feeling that inhaling sensation and also you’re respiration out and feeling that respiration out sensation. And you are able to do this along with your eyes open, resting as huge spacious consciousness and simply permitting the sense of the breath to return and go in consciousness. If you wish to shut your eyes and do it kind of the extra closed in, targeted approach that’s okay, however I like to recommend sitting along with your eyes open and simply feeling that breath coming and going like a wave in consciousness. It’s very nice that approach.
Once more, simply resting as huge spacious consciousness, feeling the breath wave come and go. However I would like you to note the minute the in-breath the second, the second the millisecond the in-breath involves an finish. And spot you don’t need to do tight laser beam focus to try this, you simply are conscious, noticing, noticing, noticing, conscious, conscious, conscious, when does the in-breath finish. And identical factor as you’re respiration out, respiration out, respiration out, respiration out, when does the out-breath finish. And an vital caveat right here is, don’t manipulate the top of the in-breath or the top of the out-breath so that you see it. Proper, simply anticipate it to naturally happen. However be sure to catch the top of the in-breath, finish of the out-breath with every breath cycle.
Now don’t miss a single a part of the breath wave. Once more you don’t need to drill down. You don’t need to be doing micro deal with this. You’re resting as huge spacious consciousness and the sensation of the breath wave simply arises in consciousness and passes away in consciousness. However I would like you to pay attention to each little second of that breath wave. Don’t miss any of it and significantly discover the top of the in-breath, significantly discover the top of the out-breath. These are particular emphasis factors, however you’re additionally noticing the remainder of the entire breath. So permitting the breath wave to to actually be clear in consciousness, noticing each little a part of it. Let’s do this.
I would like you to sink into this much more deeply. Permitting that breath wave to fill huge spacious consciousness. In fact, huge spacious consciousness is huge, however that breath wave turns into very, very apparent. Very, very clear and also you’re not lacking a millisecond of it. And the breath wave is so massive it kind of simply pushes ideas out of the way in which. We’re not on function doing that, however the breath wave is so massive and so clear, it simply form of dominates the spacious consciousness. It’s actually very clear in there and also you’re significantly conscious of the top of the in-breath. you’re significantly conscious of the top of the out-breath. And the remainder of the time that breath wave, that feeling of the breath rising within the physique and the sensation of the breath falling the physique could be very clear. You’re staying with that. You’re virtually resting with it or using it. Very easy.
Discover that consciousness of the breath doesn’t take any effort. Consciousness is already conscious. And so the notice of the breath simply is there. Rises in consciousness, passes away in consciousness with none effort required in any respect.
Good. Now, with only a slight shift in emphasis, remaining resting as huge spacious consciousness, simply let go of deliberately being conscious of something and even deliberately doing something. We’re simply resting as huge spacious consciousness, already awake, already conscious, already huge. There’s nothing to do in any respect. Now if you end up doing one thing like participating with a thought, simply drop that. If you end up making an attempt to meditate, simply drop that. If you end up making an attempt to do something in any respect, that’s doing. Simply simply drop it. Come again to easily resting. And this isn’t a sleep form of resting we’re very, very, very awake however we’re not doing something in any respect together with following ideas. So it’s not about sitting and simply being distracted as a result of that’s truly a doing, that’s following trains of thought. So if you end up following a thought, simply drop it.
Now for some individuals the phrase ‘drop it’ is simply too robust. They get entangled in a wrestle. This isn’t a wrestle. When you’re struggling, drop that. Proper, so we will use different phrases in addition to drop it. We will simply say simply ‘let it go,’ we will say simply ‘let it’s,’ no matter, however we’re not doing. That is complete non-doing. Letting go or dropping will not be a doing. That’s a relinquishing.
Okay, good. Now we’re going to do one thing that takes slightly little bit of effort. You understand we’re all already current buddhas, already current bodhisattvas. Our pristine consciousness is already absolutely enlightened. There’s nothing to do on that stage. On that deep stage there’s nothing to do. You’re already wakeful, however typically we don’t acknowledge it, we don’t see it. And so it’s simple for me to take a seat right here and say hey you’re all absolutely woke up buddhas, we’re all absolutely woke up buddhas, however you is perhaps pondering yeah, however I don’t see it. Effectively why don’t we see it? We don’t see it due to our perception system. We don’t see it as a result of we now have concepts that we will’t be that and these concepts get in the way in which as a result of we’re absolutely woke up buddhas. Our ideas like which have actual energy to affect our personal minds.
So proper now I would like you to have a look at no matter ideas you’ve and so they’re going to sound like this: I’m not ok to appreciate my buddhahood; I’m too damaged to appreciate my buddhahood; I don’t deserve it; I’m too fucked as much as ever actually discover my very own buddhahood; oh I’ve tried for years and nothing works; perhaps it really works for different individuals, however I can’t do it. Ideas like that. I don’t know the way it sounds precisely for you and it is perhaps in your personal language, or it’d you recognize come up in a extremely completely different approach, however no matter that’s for you want, I’m too damaged to ever acknowledge this buddhahood Michael’s speaking about. Let’s faux that’s the thought, I wish to hear that thought in your thoughts. Convey it up no matter phrases are the true thought for you and listen to these phrases as empty. Hear these phrases as simply sounds passing via this huge sky of the thoughts, completely empty, completely dissolving, completely passing, completely not true. Okay. More often than not vacancy doesn’t imply issues are true or not true. That’s not the purpose. Even true issues will be empty, however on this case it’s additionally not true.
In order these ideas come up, simply see them as empty. okay. Any thought that you simply’re not ok. Any thought that you simply’re too damaged, any thought that you simply’re too misplaced, any thought that you simply’re too previous, any thought that you simply’re too silly. Something like that. We now have all types of ideas like this. That is only for different individuals, I’ve tried too exhausting and it doesn’t work. All of that. All of those ideas are utterly empty. So I would like you proper now to convey these up again and again and see that these ideas are each empty and never true.
Do not forget that as a result of we’re already current absolutely woke up enlightened beings. You understand, Inexperienced Taras, Buddhas, Shiva, Shaktis, no matter your perception system, no matter probably the most sacred, most awake, most compassionate, most loving being is, we’re already all that. And so it doesn’t matter what the ideas are. They are often issues like I used to be abused a lot as a baby I can by no means acknowledge my buddhahood. That thought is empty and it’s not true as a result of the buddhahood is stronger than that. That’s to not negate what occurred. It’s to not say it doesn’t rely, however by way of your already current buddhahood, that may heal all that. In order that’s an empty and incorrect thought. I’ve skilled an excessive amount of trauma and the trauma blocks every thing. It doesn’t block your personal buddhahood. That thought is empty and unfaithful. Discover that now.
One other one could be I used to be an excessive amount of of an addict, I’ve simply damage myself an excessive amount of, I’m too sick to acknowledge my very own buddhahood. No that’s not true. The Buddha by no means ever was affected by any of that for even one second. Your buddhahood is past all that. It may well show you how to to heal all that and you may join with your personal already current enlightenment regardless of all that. So all of the abuse we’ve suffered, all of the trauma we’ve suffered, all of the horrible issues we’ve accomplished to our physique, none of that will get in the way in which of recognizing your buddha nature, proper. The buddha nature can acknowledge itself as a result of the buddha nature was by no means damage in any of this.
The buddha nature is flooding you with acceptance, self-acceptance and confidence and love and kindness at each second. And the buddha nature is what you actually are so even when your bodily physique is damage, even when your psychology is hurting, all that, that will probably be healed and that doesn’t get in the way in which of recognizing your buddhahood. So discover that these ideas are empty and unfaithful, empty and unfaithful, empty and unfaithful. Possibly there’s issues that may’t be healed, however the Buddha, the already current buddhahood nonetheless acknowledges itself past all that. So discover the vacancy and never trueness of those ideas now and launch them, allow them to go. They will now not block your recognition.
Good, now let go of that and I would like you to only come again to resting in huge spacious consciousness. Conscious, completely clear, completely effortlessly awake, conscious and nonetheless. If something comes up and we get entangled in it, we simply loosen up and relinquish that involvement. We stay utterly uninvolved with every thing. We’re simply conscious, effortlessly wakeful like a buddha, effortlessly completely conscious.
Good, now resting as huge spacious consciousness, wakeful, completely clear, I would like you to only have the intention for this awakeness to note itself. There’s nothing to do, you’ll be able to’t do that, however you’ll be able to intend it, so simply permit consciousness to see itself. Enable consciousness to pay attention to itself after which simply relaxation once more.
Simply permitting or intending that consciousness pay attention to itself. Don’t do something in any respect, there’s nothing to do. When you do something you’ll get in the way in which. so simply permit consciousness to pay attention to itself. Enable awakeness to see itself after which simply relaxation doing nothing.
What if there’s nothing to alter? Simply let go of making an attempt to alter something utterly. What if there’s nothing to do? Simply let go of doing something now. What if every thing is already utterly good simply the way in which it’s? Let it’s good simply the way in which it’s. What in the event you’re already good simply the way in which you’re? Simply permit your self to be good simply the way in which you’re. Resting as huge spacious consciousness because the buddha thoughts. Simply resting as clear, crisp, brilliant awakeness conscious of itself doing nothing in any respect.
The urge to alter one thing comes up and also you seize on, simply loosen up, let go of that, drop it, simply come again to rest. The urge to carry on to a thought, to do one thing comes up. Simply let go of that thought, don’t do something, simply loosen up and open and stay open. Naturally, open naturally, awake, completely effortlessly brilliant and clear.
Good, now let this already awake, absolutely enlightened buddha that you’re, beam love and caring and kindness and pleasure and power and well being and love and sweetness and kindness to the entire world. Simply permit that. It takes no effort in any respect due to the facility of a buddha. Simply let that stunning vitality shine and shine and shine and unfold to all beings, all individuals and animals round you, all individuals and animals and beings in every single place on the planet, in every single place in all worlds, on this universe, in every single place in all worlds, in each universe. Really feel that pleasure and that kindness and that love and that knowledge and readability and confidence and pure dignity and a way of regality shine forth touching everybody in every single place together with your self.
All beings in every single place rejoicing, all beings in every single place feeling liked and cared for, all beings in every single place feeling wholesome and powerful, all beings in every single place feeling secure and safe, all beings in every single place feeling assured and succesful. Really feel that beaming in all instructions now.
Okay good, let’s convey the meditation to an in depth now, thanking all beings in every single place. Feeling gratitude for every thing, feeling forgiveness for every thing and simply noticing our pure already current effortlessly current, huge awakeness which is at all times proper there. It’s at all times proper right here proper now, this buddha awakeness. And simply permit your physique to maneuver and stretch. Enable your self to really feel snug. Have a drink of water as we convey the meditation to an finish now.
Dharma Discuss
In order you noticed tonight we began out with gratitude and forgiveness and as I discussed on the time, that’s actually highly effective for constructing useful resource, for serving to us to open our coronary heart. Meditating with a closed coronary heart with an armored emotional physique, armored physique. You are able to do it, however it’s exhausting. It turns into a lot simpler if we open our coronary heart, if we form of soften our armor, we form of loosen up, proper come out of our tortoise shell and open, open, open. So we do our gratitude observe, we do our forgiveness observe, different instances we do our deity yoga or no matter, however we wish to have extra openness than perhaps we sometimes do when strolling round on the planet. So tonight we did gratitude and forgiveness to assist ourselves with that.
After which discover once we did shamatha—we did a dzogchen type shamatha—which, as a substitute of being slim, could be very huge. So you recognize in the event you discovered learn how to do let’s say mindfulness in a vipassana custom, otherwise you’re doing the thoughts illuminated type shamatha or no matter, it’s very slim. You retain focusing down, focusing down, focusing down and also you’re entering into micro particulars. And that’s high-quality, that’s one form of shamatha. It really works, however within the form of shamatha that I’m exhibiting you tonight, which is a extra dzogchen type shamatha, we’re resting huge open. Our eyes are open, consciousness is conscious, it’s all the way in which conscious in all instructions, it’s simply resting huge open like it’s. We’re not narrowing it after which we’re simply letting that breath wave come up in consciousness.
Now discover how completely different that’s than saying I would like you to make form of a flashlight beam out of consciousness into this tight consideration and also you’re noticing the breath with tight consideration. And a few individuals say like in TMI it says to try this whereas nonetheless sustaining some openness, however what we’re doing right here is completely different than even sustaining slightly openness. We’re primarily simply resting in open consciousness and as a substitute of form of efforting to make a beam out of consideration and shine it on the physique sensations of respiration, moderately we’re noticing that the physique sensations of respiration are current in consciousness already. You don’t need to form of on function make this beam and shine it on these sensations of the breath. They’re simply arising already in consciousness. That’s how you recognize it’s there you’re conscious of it. There’s nothing to do. You’re already conscious of it so we’re not entering into the micro particulars, however we’re staying with the notice of the breath during the cycle of the breath. You’re not lacking any a part of the breath cycle.
The primary mistake that folks do after they’re making an attempt to do shamatha observe is what I name test the field. So in your listing of issues to do it says really feel the in-breath and they also’re feeling the in-breath and so they go, yep felt the in-breath. After which they go and take into consideration their pokemon go snorlaxes, or no matter, or how they’re going to rearrange their pokedex till the following breath comes and so they’re like, oh there’s the breath once more, I really feel it, test, now I can go take into consideration my pokedex once more or the following pokemon that I wish to seize, or no matter. You go off and play along with your thoughts in between since you suppose, oh I checked the field, I did what I’m purported to do.
That’s a mistake once we’re doing shamatha, even this very huge, open consciousness shamatha the place we’re simply effortlessly conscious of the breath coming and going. You don’t wish to test the field. Or to place it a special approach, you’re checking the field each second of the breath. Feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now. After which actually further noticing the top of the in-breath, noticing, noticing, there it’s. Okay, right here comes the out-breath, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now, feeling it now. You understand you’re checking the field constantly after which particularly right here, right here comes the top of it, there’s the top of it, growth. Now right here comes one other in-breath.
So that you’re not lacking any second of that breath cycle, however neither are you, the way in which we’re doing it tonight. Once more, there’s many many various sorts of shamatha and there’s nobody magic kind of shamatha. However anyway, the way in which we’re doing it tonight, you’re resting as open consciousness, noticing you’re already conscious of the breath. You don’t need to do something. There it’s. It’s simply taking place in consciousness. Now stick with it, stick with it on a regular basis. All the way in which on the out breath. All the way in which on the in-breath. Give slightly further discover on the top of the in-breath, staying with it, staying with slightly further discover on the top of the out-breath. And also you’ll discover that you simply’re having fairly a targeted meditation, proper. Not targeted slim, however targeted within the sense of you’re actually staying with that breath. And it’s not even exhausting, proper.
And as you’re permitting increasingly of that breath sensation to fill consciousness, different issues like pondering will get actually pushed to the aspect. It’s not that you simply’re in any approach making an attempt to cease pondering or manipulate your ideas. You’re not doing that in any respect, however you’re getting so concerned within the rising of the breath and the falling of the breath that it’s virtually that rising and falling is taking over all of consciousness. And it’s form of pushing the pondering out of the way in which. So that you’ll discover increasingly time passes the place you’re simply all that’s arising in consciousness is the breath sensation, proper. You’re nonetheless seeing the surface world and also you’re conscious of stuff however there won’t be a lot pondering happening as a result of it’s form of getting virtually like, there’s not room for it.
And in order that’s how I would like you to do shamatha proper. When you’ve discovered this different approach the place you’re doing the slim shamatha that’s high-quality. Go forward and do it, however for these non-dual kind meditations we’re doing a non-dual custom kind of shamatha the place we’re simply permitting the breath to come up in consciousness, permitting the breath to fall in consciousness, whereas remaining wakeful like that. Whereas remaining huge and spacious like that. In order that’s how I would like you to be doing shamantha for these meditations.
However I additionally wish to say, I simply stated it briefly, however I’ll say it once more. There isn’t a one proper strategy to do shamatha. Shamatha is shamatha. There’s a zillion methods to do it and if a type of methods was so a lot better than the opposite methods, as a result of individuals tried out all of the methods of doing shamantha 2000 years in the past, 2500 years in the past, 3000 years in the past. If there was one further particular approach that was so a lot better, it could have taken over a thousand years in the past. We’d all learn about it and it’d be the one one we do.
So there is no such thing as a one proper strategy to do shamatha. That’s simply nonsense. Nonetheless, having stated that, the way in which that we’re doing it, with our eyes open and holding in huge spacious consciousness and never getting slim simply makes it a lot simpler to then transfer into shamatha with out an object and so forth. It simply makes it simpler for what we’re going to do later. However discover that’s completely different than saying it’s a greater form of shamatha or it’s the correct of shamatha. It’s simply setting us up for the following strikes. Plus it’s an effective way, it’s enjoyable to do easy open shamatha. So it’s good. However I don’t wish to declare that one way or the other the precise approach or one of the best ways.
And a corollary to that that’s tremendous vital, I’ll let you know I’ve been instructing meditation a very long time now. Right here is the query that I hear so typically. I hear this virtually on daily basis. And so that you simply by no means need to ask this query once more, I’ll say this as clearly as attainable. There isn’t a particular shamatha object. There isn’t a particular shamatha object. There isn’t a particular shamatha object. What do I imply? What I imply is in several traditions they’ll be like, oh these stinking soiled losers do shamatha on the breath, however we’re going to do shamatha on visualization and that’s the one true approach, that’s the way in which you get enlightened. Oh no no no, the individuals who do shamatha on the visualization are stinking soiled losers, however we who do shamatha on this particular mantra, we all know that is the way in which you’re going to get enlightened as a result of what you want is the precise shamatha object. You want a particular shamatha object. Individuals there is no such thing as a such factor because the particular shamatha object. Simply let go of that concept ceaselessly. It isn’t the case.
Right here’s form of the implied query within the query when individuals say what’s the great shamatha object, what they actually imply is what shamatha object will get me enlightened and I respect the query. I’m not mocking the query. That’s a completely cheap query. However the reply is all of them or none of them, as a result of focus or staying with an object, is simply staying with an object and you are able to do that with any object. So there’s nobody that’s the proper one besides the one which works for you.
So to barely backpedal, let’s say you want doing mantras and also you don’t like doing visualizations, effectively then mantras are higher shamatha objects for you since you like them and also you’ll do them extra. Or let’s say you actually love doing shamatha on the breath and also you’ve accomplished years of it and also you simply love that. Effectively okay then, that’s your shamatha object. Tremendous, that’s nice for you, however it’s not the case that there’s one proper focus object for each particular person. Or like there’s a particular one which in the event you’re led into the key again room and you place a fifty greenback invoice in my palms I’ll present you the one proper shamatha object. And that’s the true one. shamatha is shamatha is shamatha is shamatha. All of them work. It’s all simply resting the thoughts on an object. Permitting consciousness to pay attention to that object no matter it’s okay.
So cease the seek for the particular shamatha object or the one proper strategy to do shamatha. Simply do your shamatha and permit your self to relaxation with it. Once more, the way in which I would like you to be taught to do it’s kind of the conventional approach in my programs, but additionally on these youtube meditations is eyes open, consciousness resting huge open and simply permitting consciousness of the breath to return and go. That’s our shamatha with an object. However different instances you’ll hear me do it one other approach. Typically we’ll do a visualization. Typically we’ll do a mantra. In order that’s kind of simply one other approach of doing shamatha. So there’s all these alternative ways to do shamatha and there’s nobody magic object.
You learn a few of these books which can be on breath consciousness and so they make it sound like that’s the one factor you’ll be able to meditate on. And that’s simply incorrect. You’ll be able to meditate on something. It’s quite common in meditation traditions to begin out meditating on one thing like a pebble. Go get a pebble, set it in entrance of you, stare at that factor along with your eyes light. That’s a completely regular meditation object and it’s not one way or the other higher or worse than the breath. So simply let go of this concept that there’s a particular object. There isn’t, okay. In order that’s my kind of ranty a part of the dharma discuss.
The opposite half is, discover that you simply don’t need to do something to bear in mind. That is one other factor perhaps that is form of persevering with the rant, however on a special subject. What I hear individuals say loads is one thing like I’m struggling to make my consciousness huge. Or I’m struggling to note consciousness. You’ll be able to’t make your consciousness huge. It’s already huge. It begins out huge. However what occurs is that as a substitute what you’re used to doing is narrowing, narrowing, narrowing and simply noticing one little tiny channel, an consideration channel out of the entire vastness of consciousness. However consciousness is at all times huge. So that you’re not making your consciousness huge. All you’re doing is enjoyable your consideration. And you recognize and in the event you’ve bought a behavior of tight consideration, you bought to only preserve letting go, preserve letting go, till it relaxes and also you discover the notice that’s already wakeful. So there is no such thing as a making my consciousness huge. By no means wrestle. By no means spend even a second struggling to make your consciousness huge. Simply let go of narrowing and also you’ll discover it’s already panoramic. It’s at all times been panoramic.
After which the opposite one is I’m making an attempt to note consciousness. Now that one is actually truly form of humorous as a result of the koan there could be: oh actually you’re making an attempt to note consciousness? What’s noticing? The one factor that may presumably be noticing is consciousness. Consciousness is what notices. So if somebody says, or in case you are saying I’m struggling to note consciousness. That’s like your canine looking for its tail. It’s already bought it. It already is the tail. The canine contains the tail. The attention contains the noticing. So simply discover the noticing. That’s consciousness.
One other strategy to say the identical factor is that consciousness is nearly the identical phrase as expertise. The truth that something is occurring proper now in any respect, that the lights are on in your expertise, the truth that you’re having a thought or can really feel your physique and spot the thought or really feel your physique. Or the truth that you’ll be able to hear my voice or see this video or any of that. That’s all consciousness. So the exhausting factor to do will not be discover consciousness. Consciousness is what’s noticing. The exhausting factor to do is to one way or the other not discover consciousness. So these are some pointers about issues individuals wrestle with that you simply now have permission to completely let go of.
Now we additionally did loads of psychological work tonight speaking about beliefs that get in the way in which, ideas that get in the way in which and so forth. And we labored with {that a} bunch and we’ll proceed to work with that over time as a result of that seems to be an enormous deal. I simply didn’t get into it within the discuss tonight, so we’ll come again to that one other time.
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